Why are you wearing that stupid man suit?
- Frank in Donnie Darko
"Father, may I have a word with you?"
Akito Yukishiro looked up from him paper work, slightly surprised. His daughter rarely ever spoke, let alone spoke with him. He waved his hand for her to come in and turned back to his work. He grew annoyed when she didn't speak for a few moments.
"Well, daughter? I have much to do."
Tomoe harden her resolve and folded her hands in her lap. "Father, you once told me that it was your deepest wish that I married into a very wealthy and influential family for the good of the Yukishiro name." Akito leaned back, not understanding where his daughter planned to take the conversation. "Yes, which is why I set up your engagement with Akira Kiyosato."
"Father, I believe I may have a better suitor." Tomoe's eyes glinted before she pressed on. "At the Shinomori's residence last night, Kenshin Himura told me that he wanted to date me."
"Kenshin Himura is already engaged."
"Yes, but he said he would break his engagement for me."
Akito took his chin between his fingers and stroked the skin there softly. Kenshin Himura was truly a more suitable candidate for his beautiful daughter. What was more, his father Hiko was indisputably the wealthiest man in Japan. He knew that the only reason for this engagement to the Kamiya girl was because of an old promise to a friend, who only wanted his daughter to marry a worthy man. And worthy, Kenshin Himura was.
He knew Hiko very well, and Hiko would have no problem with Kenshin breaking an engagement that he did not wish to be apart of.
Akito nodded to his daughter, smiling. "You have done very well, Tomoe. It is a good thing that I have not made things official with the Kiyosato family yet." He leaned forward in his chair. "Yes, very good timing."
Forming a union between the Yukishiro and the Himura family would prove very beneficial to Akito, who planned on running for office next election. No one would question someone who was supported by the great Hiko Himura. He looked at his beautiful daughter, indulgently. She had most certainly come in handy, especially because they had the same goals in mind.
If Tomoe had inherited anything from her father, it was his shrewd and power hungry nature. Her docile facade, he decided, was most certainly from her mother.
Tomoe stood and bowed, leaving her father's study with a smile upon her lips. She reached deftly into the pocket of her sweater for her cellphone. She dialed a friend's number.
"Hi Aoshi, it's Tomoe Yukishiro. I was wondering if you had Kenshin Himura's number?"
Sunlight peeked through her curtains. Kaoru shifted her body to bury her head in her pillows. A hand slid over her form to grip her tightly around her waist. Kaoru froze.
Red hair spilled over her pillow like a waterfall. Her eyes widened as she felt her back pressed flush against Kenshin's taut and muscular stomach. Slowly she sat up, and let Kenshin's hand slide off of her.
Kenshin shifted, immediately missing her warm body.
"Kaoru, come back." She heard Kenshin mumble from underneath the comforter. She blushed and, not knowing how else to react, grabbed a pillow and smacked him.
"Kenshin! We just slept together and you're acting like nothing happened!" He chuckled deeply, his voice deep from sleep. "Good old Kaoru, so violent." He sat up suddenly and watched her smiling eyes.
The blankets spilled over his body, exposing his sinewy, perfect body. His hair, normally pulled back in a ponytail, was loose and wild. He was beautiful.
"We're to be married soon right? So why be ashamed of what's going to happen anyway?" Kaoru's face flushed but she knew he was right. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her to tumble back. If possible, Kaoru's face reddened even more. Stupid Kenshin, she thought embarrassedly. She straddled him, frozen under the intense scrutiny of his golden eyes.
Kenshin pulled her into a deep kiss, pressing her body close to his again and relishing in the way it felt. He smirked at the noises she made at the back of her throat as his wandering hands began to move lower and lower under the covers. Kaoru, still flustered by the turn in events, broke the kiss.
"Kenshin.. Sano.." She could barely speak when he was doing those things with his hands. One had stroked her right breast softly while the other slowly moved from her stomach lower, and lower...
She grabbed his hands. Kenshin looked up at her impishly. "Kenshin, what about Sano?"
He rolled over on top of her. "What about him?" He could care less about Sano right now, the only person he was thinking of was with him. She's so beautiful, he thought. Her hair was rumpled, her lips red and puffy from his ministrations, her thick curly eyelashes framing her beautifully blue and expressive eyes. He had thoroughly enjoyed seeing what his touch did to her through her eyes. He resumed kissing her, moving one of her legs so that it curled around his hip.
She pushed him up from her, breathlessly. "Kenshin! I mean what if Sano is here!"
Her parents were never home but if Sanosuke was? He would never let them live this down.
Like a cheshire cat, Kenshin grinned down at her flushed face. He mock looked around her room and laughed, "Looks like the coast is clear, little Kaoru." When she wasn't amused by his joke he placated, "Chances are, he isn't at the house. But if he is, we can be very, very quiet." He silenced her protests again with his lips.
Kaoru's eyes widened slightly as she felt something warm and hard against her leg - and treacherously close to her entrance. She looped the other leg around his waist and was rewarded by the curve of Kenshin's smile into her lips.
"You did WHAT?"
Kaoru cringed at Misao's high pitched shriek and put her face in her hands. Maybe tell her had been a mistake.
"Shh, Misao! I don't want everyone in the world to know about this!" she whispered furiously. Misao wilted for a few seconds before her vigor was renewed. She grabbed Kaoru's shoulders excitedly and pulled the poor girl forward.
"Kaoru this is perfect, it's what you've always wanted!"
"I never said I've always wanted to sleep with Kenshin. That would make me a whore."
"You know what I mean, stupid!"
Kaoru sighed and peeked out of the crevices of her hands behind Misao at her servants. She groaned as one of the maid's interested face turned red at the sight of Kaoru looking at her. They were most definitely listening.
Kaoru lowered her voice, "What should I do? I'm certain that he still doesn't love me but I'm so confused by all of this." She was lost. Before the party, being with Kenshin was like a second nature to her. She had barely ever been without Kenshin, in fact. This had most certainly shaken things up.
Thankfully, Kenshin had left before Sanosuke arrived home. They lazed around the house for a bit and watched television together before Kenshin had to leave for a late afternoon class. Kenshin acted as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, as if their entire relationship hadn't changed in the span of one night.
Even the smallest things that Kenshin had done before changed. Instead of watching television side by side on the couch as they had always in the past, Kenshin pulled her so that her body spooned against his. She blushed as she thought about how easily he slipped his hands under her clothes, as if they had been intimately involved for a lot longer than one day.
Then, before he left, he kissed her! So deeply and romantically - it was good that Kenshin's grip was strong because Kaoru's legs declared themselves as jelly as soon as her lips met his.
Misao watched, grinning, as Kaoru's face flushed and she sank further into her seat. She looked at both of their phones lying on the coffee table and grabbed Kaoru's. Kaoru felt a cool metal slip into her hand.
"Thank you so much for my phone, Misao." Kaoru deadpanned.
Misao laughed. "Kaoru you idiot, I want you to call Kenshin and ask him to hang out tonight."
Kaoru stared at the phone, apprehensive. "Umm..." That is a good idea, she thought, but why does it seem so difficult to talk to him the way that we used to? She and Kenshin always hung out and had movie nights, staying up late talking, and falling asleep together.
Sex changes things.
Misao sighed, annoyed. "Look, I'll make things easier for you. I'LL dial the number and all you have to do is say 'Hi, Kenshin. Do you want to hang out tonight." She made to grab at the phone, but Kaoru deftly blocked her hand.
Kaoru shot Misao a glare. "Don't be sillly I can dial the number myself!" Before she could psyche herself out, she speed dialed Kenshin's number.
"Hey Kaoru."
"Kenshin! What are you up to!" She was stalling. Misao gave her a look that could freeze even Medusa. She waved her hand at Misao, silently telling her that she would do as she said.
"Just got out of class, driving to go pick up Sano." He laughed. "He's still at Aoshi's house!"
Forgetting her earlier nervousness, she laughed as well.
"Let me guess; just woke up, hungover, stranded, and hungry?" She snickered some more.
"Ding, ding, ding! Give the girl a prize! Dead on."
"Well, do you want to give me a call after you hang out with my brother? I wanted to know if you wanted to have movie night tonight."
"Yeah, definitely. My place at seven?"
"Mhm. I'll see you then, Kenshin"
"Okay, until then."
She hung up the phone, proud that things were still the same in that regard with her best friend, but also flustered as she thought of what might come of the 'movie night'. She looked up to see Misao's ever smiling face. She reached forward to pinch her friend's cheek. "If you keep smiling so hard, your face will get stuck like that!"
Misao batted Kaoru's hand away. "You're so lucky, Kaoru! Kenshin is so handsome." She knew about Kenshin's love for Tomoe Yukishiro and Kaoru's constant insecurities about Kenshin never loving her in their marriage. Misao was truly happy for Kaoru's new relationship with Kenshin, even if it wasn't a loving one. Yet, she thought.
"Oh, I wish that I had gone to the party last night, Kaoru!"
Kaoru had invited her, but she had to accompany her parents to a family dinner. She tried, but failed at weaseling herself out.
"And why's that."
"You went to the party, ensnared Kenshin with your undeniable gorgeous looks -" she paused, and grinned into the air. "That means I have a chance to do the same with Aoshi!"
Kaoru tried to put on a mask of horror but could not stop from chuckling at Misao's logic. "Misao, you can't just plan to seduce someone like that."
"Why not, you did."
"No, I didn't! If anything, he seduced me!"
"And, I'm saying that as long as I'm waking up next to Aoshi the next morning, I couldn't give a crap about who did the seducing."
Kaoru choked at Misao's frankness, but Misao paid no heed.
She grabbed both of Kaoru's hands, and leaned in dreamily. "Okay, now that you and Kenshin are happily ever after, we can focus on me and Aoshi!" Misao's unshakeable love for Aoshi was more than admirable, and endeared Kaoru more than anything. Ever since her mother introduced Aoshi to herself and Misao ten years ago, Misao saw herself with no other man.
Kaoru threaded her fingers in between Misao's. That's what made them so inseparable since their first meeting. Their similiarities: tomboys that loved to fight, didn't have any girl friends besides themselves, and were undeniably in love with two men that didn't love them back.
"So what's our next plan of attack with Aoshi?" Kaoru asked, playing along with Misao's scheming nature. "This one - of course - won't fail this time!" she added, intending to boost Misao's overly inflated confidence even higher. She would need it for the 'ice-man". Misao opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by the sound of Kaoru's phone ringing.
She looked at the I.D. "It's Kenshin." She looked at Misao confusedly. "I wonder what he wants now. Don't just stare at it, pick it up!" Misao urged.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Kaoru. Something came up, I'm going to have to postpone our movie night."
She paused at the tone of his voice. He sounded sorry.
"It's okay, Kenshin. What time do you want me to come over? Ten or eleven?"
"Ten thirty would be great. We can do it tomorrow if you'd rather not come so late."
"Kenshin, what am I twelve? It's fine, I'll be there tonight."
Kenshin's deeply chuckled.
"No, Kaoru you're most certainly not twelve. I'll see you then."
Kaoru turned red at his insinuations, and his low, sexy voice and accompanied them. Before she could get another word in, he hung up.
"So he wanted to change times? I wonder what came up." Kaoru wondered the same thing, but knew that if Kenshin had wanted her to know, he would have told her. Misao grabbed her arm, as another diabolical idea swept through her mind.
"Okay Kaoru, we'll go out tonight before your date with Kenshin! We should dress up and put on make up and maybe if we're lucky, we'll run into Aoshi!" Misao grabbed both her phone off of the coffee table and Kaoru's hand before pulling her unwilling friend upstairs, plan intact. Misao rambled on about her plans to ensnare Aoshi Shinimori and Kaoru groaned, not enjoying the prospect of another night of dress up.
Kenshin stared at the phone, smiling after Kaoru hung up. He had planned on calling her and asking her out - he hadn't betted that Kaoru would be the one to initiate anything. He chuckled. As I was proven last night, he thought to himself as he exited the University building, there is a lot about Kaoru that I do not know.
What possessed him to kiss Kaoru last night, he didn't know. But he was certainly glad that it decided to possess him then, because he was certainly glad of what it eventually lead to. Desire filled him as he remembered Kaoru's perfect body beneath his, moaning, her breasts bouncing...
He shook his head to chase away those images. He smirked. Besides, Kaoru is wrong if she thinks that tonight was only movie night. His amber eyes darkened at the prospect of seeing Kaoru naked again. Who would have thought that he, the one that was in love with another, would be so obsessed with fucking his soon to be wife. His life sounded like a messed up soap opera.
He opened the car door and swung himself into the driver's seat prepared to take off to grab his best friend. His phone began to ring.
He looked down in annoyance, expecting the caller I.D. to name Sanosuke Kamiya as the caller. Jesus, how many times is Sano going to call to make sure I'm coming. His annoyance transformed into surprise. It was a number he didn't recognize.
"Hello?" he answered.
"Kenshin? Hi, it's Tomoe Yukishiro. I hope I'm not calling at a bad time"
His eyes widened in utter shock; out of anyone that could have called him, she was most certainly at the end of the list of possible.
"Tomoe! No, your timing is perfect! How are you?" He mentally cursed himself. Stupid Kenshin, her timing is perfect?
"I'm good. I was wondering if you wanted to out to dinner with me tonight. You said that you wanted to hang out more over the vacation, and I know the break hasn't started but -"
"Sure, I would love to go out with you tonight." He cut her off, pleasantly surprised by this turn in events. If she would not be his girlfriend, he would certainly settle as her friend. Anything, in his mind, was better than nothing.
"Okay, how does seven o'clock sound at the Moon?"
He nodded, smiling at his phone before realizing that she couldn't see him. It was perplexing, though, that she chose the Moon for them to dine at, a restaurant known for its romantic atmosphere. Only the night before she turned his advances away.
"Sounds perfect, Tomoe. I'll see you then?"
"Yes, see you." He could hear the smile through her voice, and could barely contain his own grin. Even when the line went dead the spell that Tomoe always managed to enthrall him with remained, and he sat there in his car, smiling and silent.
Then reality shocked him like a lightning bolt.
"Shit!" he groaned. He just made plans with Kaoru. Picking up the phone, he speed dialed her number. Kaoru wouldn't mind their plans changing a tiny bit.
"Hello?" Her voice floated through the receiver - she sounded surprised.
"Hey, Kaoru. Something came up, I'm going to have to postpone our movie night."
There was a slight pause that magnified Kenshin's guilt.
"It's okay, Kenshin. What time do you want me to come over? Ten or eleven?"
"Ten thirty would be great. We do it tomorrow if you'd rather not come so late."
"Kenshin, what am I twelve? It's fine, I'll be there tonight."
He nearly laughed outright. Oh, she certainly proved to him she wasn't twelve last night.
"No, Kaoru you're most certainly not twelve. I'll see you then."
He flipped the phone closed, relieved that Kaoru hadn't fussed at him for changing their plans. He berated himself - when had Kaoru ever fussed at him?
When Kenshin arrived he could have sworn he saw relief flash through the normally stoic Aoshi's eyes. Wordlessly, he led Kenshin to where Sano rested.
"Sano, what the fuck happened to you?"
Sano was in one of Aoshi Shinimori's spare rooms, approximately fifteen hours after the party ended. His face was ashen, his normally rooster like hair flattened to his skull, and his miserable body curled up on the bed that Aoshi allowed him to sleep on. The room reeked of vomit and a bucket was conspicuously placed near Sano's head.
Sano groaned in misery.
Aoshi turned to Kenshin and said, "Remove him." He left.
Scrunching up his nose and pitying the maids that would be left with the mess that Sano made, he pulled his friend from the bed and slung his arm over his shoulder. "C'mon Sano, you have to try a little," Kenshin complained as Sano hung like a ragdoll.
Sano groaned again and steadied his feet. Once they made it to the car and Kenshin fastened Sanosuke in the passenger's seat, he turned to look at him. "Seriously, Sano, I've never seen you so messed up after a party like that."
Sano mumbled something under his breath.
"What was that?" Kenshin asked.
"I kissed that girl Tae last night," Sano repeated, sounding forlorn.
"Okay? If I recall correctly, you've kissed 'that girl Tae' before last night, as well," Kenshin said, not understanding why his friend was so upset over a girl. Sanosuke usually bragged and whooped for every girl he'd triumphed.
"Megumi saw me kiss Tae!" Sano whined, hanging his head down in shame.
Kenshin's mouth dropped. Were those tears in Sano's eyes?
"Sano. Are you fucking crying?"
Sanosuke kept his head down, like a child. "No!" he moaned.
"Okay, tell me what happened while we drive to your house."
Kenshin backed out of Aoshi's driveway and drove while trying to make out Sanosuke's teary recount of the night. "So let me get this straight. You tried to kiss Megumi and she stopped you. Then you nearly drank and entire bottle of Vodka - am I following correctly so far?" Sano sniffed and nodded, encouraging Kenshin to press forward.
"And so you kissed one of Megumi's best friends, in front of her, to get her jealous?" Kenshin really tried, but he couldn't stop the laughter from bursting from his mouth. He glanced at Sano, snickering. "You fucking idiot!"
Sano just moaned and put his head in his hands.
In his entire life, he had only seen Sanosuke Kamiya cry at Koshirou Kamiya's funeral. Okay, twice, but that was because Kaoru jumped from the balcony onto his head and they had to rush him to the emergency room. Granted, Sano was most likely still drunk from all the alcohol he'd consumed but either way, Megumi must be someone really special for Sanosuke to lose his cool like that.
He reached over and playfully punched Sano in the shoulder. The attempt to lighten Sano's mood only managed to make the man recoil in pain from being jolted in his hangover. "Don't worry about it, we'll get you cleaned up and we'll figure out a way for you to get back into Megumi's graces." I hope, Kenshin added to himself.
He opened his mouth to tell Sano that Tomoe asked him out on a date but then thought better of it. Sanosuke wanted Kenshin to marry Kaoru and therefore, Sanosuke did not want Kenshin to date Tomoe. Sure, he'd always backed Kenshin's interests in other girls while Kaoru was still a child and they were boys - but it was different now.
Sanosuke was probably certain that Kenshin and Kaoru would marry, especially since there had been no success with Tomoe in the past. And, on top of that, if he said something to Sano - Sano would, in passing, say something to Kaoru. Two days ago, that would have been fine.
Sex changes things, he thought shrewdly.
His amber eyes darkened as he thought of his and Kaoru's deeds that morning. And not for the worse, he added to himself, smirking. He thought about Kaoru's long, slender legs wrapped around him and suddenly couldn't wait for movie night.
Review. Sorry that took so long!